Planned and Unplanned
by Dixie Dewdrop
Summary: Life always brings about the unanticipated for Family Gibbs.  This is part of my Fate scenario.
1. Battle Wounds

Battle Wounds

Maria was bouncing Tony on one hip and brushing his bangs back gently, when he ordered her, in shuddery, tearful breaths, "Kiss it again, Abuela." With that he began rubbing at his head.

She did so, and suggested, "Let me put you down now so that I can see how badly you hit the table."

Tony refused outright and threw both arms around her neck. He began crying hard again.

The doorbell rang, and Maria said soothingly, "Nieto, por favor, let's go to the door and see who is there."

Normally Tony loved answering the door and it was a testament to his pain and upset that his response was a stuffed up, adamant, tearful, "I don't want to go to the door, Abuela! Yo no quiero ir!"

"Ok, then I will put you down and go myself. Remember that Tayan is coming over?" Maria leaned down to set him on the floor but his sobs increased and he clutched her harder. Rejecting that idea, she made their way to the door. Maria opened it and ushered in their guest, who was scheduled to babysit Tony for the evening.

Maria shut the door and pointed to the living room. "Make yourself at home, por favor. Antonio ran into the table and hurt his head a few minutes ago and I need to take care of him first."

Tayan, a perky teen who had cared for Tony before, nodded agreeably and asked, "Is there something I can do, Ms. Osirio?"

"No, not right now- just get comfortable. He'll be ok in a few minutes."

Tony still clutched her tightly, but his sobs were beginning to slow a bit. Maria carried him upstairs, then stopped at the restroom to wet a cloth and grab a tissue. She settled them both into the rocker in Tony's bedroom, and moved him so that he was lying across her lap. Bathing his face with the cloth, she spoke soothingly and his sobs began to slow.

Finally, he reached up and rubbed her hair. "Is the Red Cross coming, Abuela?"

Maria smiled, "No, not today- we don't need Dr. Mallard for this, Antonio. It is just a tiny cut."

Within another couple of minutes of rocking he stopped crying altogether, and she held the tissue over his nose and ordered him to blow. He did, and she sat him up so that he was facing her. She spoke soothingly as she brushed back his hair and kissed the cut area.

"Now, Abuela has checked you and you are ok. You have a little cut on your forehead and we are going to find a bandage for it, es verdad? I will kiss it again and it will be ok, and then my bambino can go see Tayan. She came to be with my big boy today."

Tony leaned over and wiped his face on her dress front and she kissed the cut again. "Come, we are going to the bathroom now."

She carried him in and sat him on the counter, then pulled out the bandages and allowed him to choose one adorned with characters. He chose Sesame Street's Elmo, and waited patiently for her to dab an antibiotic ointment on first, then handed her the bandage. Once she had applied it she set him down on the floor.

"Use the toilet now, and I will be right back." He nodded and climbed his step stool to do as she'd ordered as she made her way into his father's room, and to the cabinet where they kept medicine secured out of Tony's reach. She used the painkiller's dosage-for-children- cap and measured some medicine out for him.

When she got back to the bathroom Tony was finished, and had balanced himself on his stomach on the counter to wash his hands.

"Drink this, Bambino, so I can give you the medicine. This is the one that has strawberry flavouring."

Tony obeyed eagerly, then opened his mouth widely to show her he had swallowed it all. She laughed and kissed him.

Taking him by the hand she spoke softly, "Now come, Bambino, we need to pay attention to our guest. We must have our good manners and be good hosts."

Tony puffed his lip into a pout. "I don't want you to leave me, Abuela. Tell her to go away now. Only you will stay and take care of me- solo le."


	2. Peace

Peace

She led him downstairs where Tayan was waiting in the living room. The teenager smiled brightly when she saw Tony return, bandaged and dry eyed. "Well hey there, my favourite boy. I'm glad you're ok now. You know I'm going to be babysitting you this evening, and we've got some fun things to do, so you need to be all healed so that you can play with me."

Tony smiled shyly but climbed into Maria's lap as soon as she sat down.

Tayan asked, "What happened before I arrived?"

Maria nodded ruefully and looked at Tony as she answered, "Antonio was running in the living room and he slid and hit the coffee table. That is why we don't run in the house, right Bambino, because it makes us hurt?"

Tony spoke up emphatically, "Yo no correr rapido."

"It doesn't matter that you didn't run fast. You should not have been running at all."

Tayan nodded sympathetically. "Well, the good news is that you have Elmo the magnificent on your cut. May I see your bandage?"

Tony brightened and slid down from Maria's lap. He made his way to Tayan and she examined his wound seriously, "I think it's almost healed."

"Abuela kissed it," Tony explained, rubbing a finger over his cut, "so now it's all better."

"Antonio," Maria prodded, "why don't you sit on the floor and play and let me talk to Tayan about tonight?"

He nodded, then went to his toybox, the one in the living room, and pulled out his toy combine and toy tractor. Within a couple of minutes he had added some of his toy farm animals and created a play farm around the coffee table and end table.

Maria glanced at her baby and smiled. He was making sounds for the animals and voices for his farm people. His imagination was incredible.

"All right, Tayan, everything should be no problem. I have the numbers for Dr. Mallard, and Agent Gibbs, and for me on the refrigerator. I am going tonight to a surprise birthday party for an amiga, a friend, but I am going early to help set it up. Call me if you need something, por favor. Agent Gibbs is going straight from work out to dinner with a work colleague, but he should be home by ten."

Tony looked up and his mouth turned down. "When are you coming back to me, Abuela? Quedate conmigo? When are you coming back?"

"Es Viernes, Antonio, it is Friday. I will be back Monday morning, my baby. Su padre will get home after you go to bed. Now, keep on with your farm. I don't see that the cows are there."

Tony jumped up to locate the missing cows in his toybox, and Maria turned back to the teenager.

"If anything comes up, call, but I am sure everything will be ok."

"Yes ma'am," the young lady responded, smiling down at Tony.

"Supper is on the stove, and please share our food and help yourself. Tony loves tamales, so he will not be a problem with eating."

"That sounds good. I love them, too."

Maria smiled. "So, there is pudding for dessert, and if the bambino is hungry before bed, there are grapes or strawberries."

Tony ran over, a toy pig in one hand and a toy duck in the other. "Abuela, and chocolate milk, please, I can have it tonight?"

"Yes, yes, I told him he may have chocolate milk for tonight."

Tony beamed, then manoeuvred himself so that he was lying across Maria's legs. She started bouncing him gently and he laughed.

Maria continued, "His father promised him bubbles in the tub tonight, so please remember that tambien."

Tony popped up and made his way to Tayan. "You have to make lots of bubbles so I can be a snowman."

She grinned and tickled him, and he climbed up beside her.

Maria studied him critically, "Do not forget to brush your teeth, and to use the bathroom before you go to bed."

"Ok," he agreed easily, then turned back to Tayan, "I can stay up very, very late tonight, esta bien!"

Maria raised her eyebrows and Tayan nodded in understanding. Tayan turned to Tony, "So, I'll let you stay up at least until eight or eight thirty, all right, Cutie?"

Tony looked at Maria suspiciously. "Is that up late, Abuela, ocho?"

Maria nodded seriously and Tony grinned happily and jumped back down to return to his game.

She finished the instructions. "You know your way around the house already, so you shouldn't have any problem."

Maria stood. "I will call later and check that all is well." She started out of the room and Tony jumped up immediately to follow her.

Tayan watched a second, then trailed Maria as well. "Hey, come on, Tony, let's play with your farm."

Tony acknowledged her with a look over his shoulder, then buried his face in Maria's dress and grabbed around her legs to hold her. He puffed his lip out in a pout, "Te quiero aqui, Abuela, I want you here!"

Maria leaned down and pulled him into her arms. She kissed him and then set him back down and spoke firmly. "You are my big boy, now. I will be back on Monday and you will tell me all the games you played with Tayan." She pushed Tony's chin up so that he was looking at her. "I will call later and check that you have been my angel boy, and that you have had good manners." She kissed him. Then resolutely, she got her pocketbook, told them good bye, and made her departure.


	3. Hero

Hero

Tony watched from the window as the car left, then turned a miserable face to Tayan.

She smiled sympathetically. "She always comes back, Tony. She loves you a whole bunch. Hey, do you want to finish with your farm, or do you want to play a game of Candyland with me?"

That proved to be the correct diversion, and the evening passed quickly after that.

At ten thirty Tayan heard a key in the back door, and the sound of murmured voices. Getting up from her chair, she met Agent Gibbs in the hall, his hand clutching the hand of an attractive red head. They stopped when they saw her.

"Hey," Gibbs greeted, then pushed his company in front of him, "Tayan, this is Agent Jennifer Shepard. She's in Washington visiting her dad for the next couple of weeks."

Tayan smiled hello and Jen returned the salutation, and the trio headed into the living room. Jen took a seat.

Jethro pulled out his wallet and chose several bills to hand to Tayan. She thanked him and nodded, "He was a doll, Agent Gibbs, really. He had a little bit of a meltdown because he wanted ice cream instead of fruit before bed, but we called Ms. Osirio and she told him no. So then he didn't put up a fuss. Actually, he ate two bunches of grapes."

Jethro smiled, "Well that's good."

Tayan continued, "Yes sir, he was really an angel, and cleaned up when I told him. He ate a big supper- I've never seen a body that little eat so much." She turned and nodded at Jen with that observation, and Jen smiled in agreement. Tony was definitely on the tiny side.

"What time did he go down?" queried the practical father.

Tayan giggled. "He reminded me several times he was allowed to stay up late tonight, but by seven thirty, he was almost asleep on the sofa. I told him it was eight thirty and took him to bed then. He believed me."

Jethro laughed at her cunning. "Tayan, we really appreciate your sitting for him. He likes you a lot, and it gives Maria and me the occasional break."

"I like him, too, Agent Gibbs, he's really adorable. I'm just fourteen now, so I should be able to keep sitting for him at least another eight years until I am through college if you want to keep me employed. Oh, yeah, the baby monitor's over there on the coffee table."

"That's good to know that your employment status is going to work to our benefit. Come on, and I'll walk you home."

Tayan gathered her books and jacket and Jethro turned to Jen. "Tayan just lives right across the street so I'll be right back. Make yourself at home."

He returned within five minutes, but Jen was not in the living room. He figured she'd gone to the powder room and took the opportunity to run check on Tony. To his surprise, Jen was leaning against the doorway to Tony's room. "Sorry, Jethro, I just wanted a peek. He was so precious when I met him that afternoon he was going off with Ducky. Remember how excited he was about his new clothes?"

Jethro smiled and moved quietly into the room. Tony was at the foot of the bed, covers strewn on the floor, with his stuffed monkey half on and half off the bed. He quickly moved his baby back and got him covered, then leaned down to kiss his forehead. Motioning to Jen, they made their way back downstairs.

An hour later the two were nearly finished drinking a bottle of red wine they had stopped to pick up on the way to the house. The couple had enjoyed a romantic interlude, a long, exciting, romantic interlude in Paris where both were assigned the year before.

When Jen showed up on his Washington doorstep a few weeks before while visiting her dad, they easily resumed the relationship. There was a definite, undeniable attraction between them.

They were meshed in a deep, exploratory kiss when Jethro heard a noise on the baby monitor. He pulled away from Jen and put his finger to his lips, waiting tensely to see what transpired. The sound of movement, then terrified cries of "Daddy, Daddy!" had him racing up the stairs. When he got to the room Tony was standing on his bed, shrieking, with his monkey clasped in one hand while he called for his father. When he saw him appear, he launched himself at him, and Jethro caught him and clasped him to him.

"What is the matter, Baby, what is wrong?"

Tony was crying so hard that when he tried to answer his father couldn't understand the response. Realizing it was futile to ask right then, he carried the toddler to the rocking chair and sat down. Rocking gently, he repeated soothing words over and over while he brushed back Tony's bangs, and rubbed his back, and kissed him gently. Finally, the tears slowed, and Tony's breathing settled into shuddery breaths.

Jethro kept rocking a couple of more minutes before he questioned, "Did you have a bad dream?" Tony nodded vigorously, and his face crumpled again at the memory. Before he could lapse back into tears again, Jethro interrupted gently, "But you know that Daddy is here now, so Daddy is going to protect you. Nothing can get you because Daddy won't let anything hurt you. Isn't that right?" Tony nodded and his father prompted again, "So what happened in the bad dream?"

Tony sat up so that he could face him and put up a hand to touch Jethro's cheek. "The monster grabbed my leg, Daddy. He wanted to get me and eat me up. He said- yo delicioso sabor- I would taste good to him!"

"That was really a scary dream to have. Where was the monster, Son?"

"Under the bed, Daddy, he's there-" Tony pointed to his bed and added, "under there, Daddy, and he was going to eat me at the fiesta." Tony settled back down against his father's chest, safe and secure in his parent's arms.

"Ok, well, Daddy is going to take care of things right now, because this room belongs to Tony. This is your room, and your bed, and the monster is going to have to leave." Jethro stood up and Tony clung to him with an iron vise grip. He walked over and cut on the bedside lamp. "See, watch this, Anthony, he's already scared and he's already run away and gone. Come look under here with me."

Tony peeped as his father knelt and showed him the monster-less space under the bed. Jethro stood back up, and added, "While we're at it, let's look in all the corners, and in the closet, too, to make sure he's gone for good." Tony nodded vigorously and Jethro moved him to one hip as he pointed out that the room was now a monster free zone.

Tony looked up and smiled, and Jethro inclined his head towards the hall. "Come on, Big Boy, let's go use the bathroom." After Tony had used the toilet and washed his hands, Jethro poured some water from the tap into Tony's little bathroom cup and told him to drink. Then he wiped his mouth and face with a wet cloth.

Jethro leaned over and kissed the Elmo bandage and Tony's forehead. "What happened here?"

"I got the boo boo, Daddy. The table ran into me when I was running." Jethro grinned at the response.

"Now, let's get you back to bed." Gathering both his son and the stuffed monkey, he carried them back and tucked them in, then sat down on the edge of the bed. Tony had his father's shirt hem gripped in one fist and his lip had begun to tremble. Before he could begin crying again, his father ordered softly, "Turn over on your tummy." Tony did, without relinquishing his hold on his daddy, and his dad started rubbing the back of his head and his back. Within a couple of minutes his breathing evened, but Jethro waited a little longer until Tony's grip loosened on his shirt, before he slipped off the bed. Leaning down, he kissed the sleeping child gently and snapped off the bedside lamp before he left the room.

When he returned to the living room he found Jen had moved the baby monitor close to her. He realized she'd heard the whole monster scene in colourful detail, and that he had, sadly- in view of his future romantic evening, outdone himself with his calming technique. She was curled up on the sofa sound asleep. He sighed in defeat, and resigned, located a throw to spread over her.

Leaning over her, he whispered, "Well, this is the unplanned part of the evening," then kissed her softly on the cheek. Grabbing the baby monitor, he settled on the other end of the sofa, propped his feet up on the coffee table, placed the monitor on the table beside him, and closed his eyes.


End file.
